Top ten signs you're losing your Irish accent

Are you developing an American accent?
Photo by: Keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

It is the one thing that every Irish person living in America dreads. No matter where you’re from in Ireland and how strong your accent is, you can’t stop the Americanisms creeping in.

It goes unnoticed by the Irish and Americans over here as it is the status quo and it is only when you call home that you get lambasted for “sounding like the yanks on the television”.

Here are the top ten signs that it may be time to call home to get the dressing down you require.

1. The first sign for a lot of people is their bridge between thoughts changes. Irish people say ‘emmm’ when they’re thinking of what to say. This may subtly change to the American ‘ummm’ without you even noticing. 2. Instead of saying ‘hello’, ‘howya’ or ‘well’, you begin to say ‘hey’, ‘what’s up’ or ‘what’s goin on’?

3. The answer ‘yes’ or ‘yeah’ becomes elongated and stretched out to the American ‘yaaaa’.

4. If you get really American, then Goddamn replaces your favourite Irish expletives. ‘Freaking’ also comes in instead of the “F word”. I don’t think I’m at that point yet.

5. Meeting up with a friend becomes ‘hanging out’, no matter what the setting or Goddamn situation. Oh dear God.

6. The cinema becomes the movies. And yaaa I now like to hang out at the movies.

7. Arse becomes ass.

8. When Irish people ask a question at the end of a sentence they normally change it every time to suit the question. Examples are ‘you’re working tonight, aren’t you?’ and ‘that book is good, isnt it’? This gets obliterated with the Americanism ‘right’ not long after arriving here and is now ‘you’re working tonight, right’? and ‘that book is good, right?’

9. Things are no longer bad, they freaking ‘suck’.

10. When you begin to use the word ‘awesome’ for describing everything that is good or even okay, you are too far gone and there is no cure for you, right?

And what about the reverse? Click here to read the top ten Irish expressions an American picked up while living there.